While there wasn’t much in the way of transformative change coming out the SEC’s annual Spring Meetings late last month, arguably the most impactful things to take place inside the famed Sandestin Hilton was a collective agreement for a single NCAA Transfer Portal window in January.
During the three-day event in Destin, Fla., SEC commissioner Greg Sankey revealed the league’s football coaches had their support behind a potential 10-day transfer portal window in January, right in the heart of the College Football Playoff. If that ultimately isn’t a possibility, Sankey explained the SEC coaches would rather keep the two Winter and Spring portal windows as is rather than a single window in April in the middle of Spring practice. During the 2024-25 academic calendar, FBS football had one window from Dec. 9-28 and a second, shorter window from April 16-25.
In fact, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was among the biggest proponents of the 10-day January window because it’d lessen the on-field impact on the college football postseason. That said, Smart acknowledged not every team has Georgia’s problem, and was told complaining about a portal window when his team is annually preparing for the College Football Playoff is akin to “crying from a yacht.”
“We had a meeting in which we unanimously decided that there really needed to be one portal window, whatever that is, what it is, and it needs to happen sometime in January,” Smart said during SEC Spring Meetings last month.
Of course, not everyone agrees, including former Georgia great David Pollack, who raised concerns that a December portal period would only invite more in-season “poaching” from opposing coaches.
David Pollack: ‘Your roster is going to get pillaged during the season’ with a January portal window
“I think it’s interesting that he says January. He’s a team-builder, that’s what he does, so he has an opinion that I think is obviously what he thinks is best for the sport,” Pollack said on a recent episode of his See Ball Get Ball podcast. “I’m just curious why it’s not May. I would want to make it May. And I’m talking about if I’m building a roster, because if it’s January, your roster is going to get pillaged during the season. I’d hate that. I can’t stand that.”
Pollack explained his May proposal by pointing out the later window would allow coaches to be more informed about the makeup of their roster, including the incoming freshmen that went through Spring practice.
“In May, I kind of understand what my roster is. I’ve been with those guys for awhile, and now I know what holes to fill,” Pollack said. “I don’t love January because I just don’t love the idea of poaching. And during a season, you saw last year people basically committing after the season to play somewhere else (while) the season was still going on.”
For his part, Smart has already addressed the potential pitfalls of a Spring portal window, be it in April or May.
“You think tampering’s a problem? Put that portal in April and see what teams do in January, February and March,” Smart said. “Just think about it now, because we’re getting ready to make a big decision and a lot of people believe, ‘Well the kids won’t be able to leave if we put it in April, they’ll have to stay the next semester.’ Oh no. They’ll be on your campus getting tampered with, collecting 33% of your cap before they leave with it. Not for that.”
— On3’s Thomas Goldkamp and Nick Kosko contributed to this report.
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